Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws against the New York Mets during the first inning in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series, Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Opponent - NYM (Wheeler) Park - @LAD
FD - 46.08 DK - 30.47
Of course, Clayton Kershaw. When he is on the mound, you can expect him to be at the top of this article. He hosts the New York Mets tonight, at home in Dodgers Field. He's easily the best pitcher in the league and at home, he's unstoppable. He sported a ridiculous .161 wOBA in Dodgers Field and has backed it up with a 28.1% strikeout rate. It's undeniable how great he is and it just comes down to whether or not you think you can afford him on any particular slate. This is a slate where I think you can get him in and the match-up is almost too great to ignore. The Mets aren't bad against righties, but against lefties, it's a whole different story. They are ranked 26th in the league with a .294 wOBA and 22% K rate. On the road, you can kick that to 29th in the league. They have a bunch of guys who simply can't hit left-handers and the guys who can, can't hit them very well. Cespedes and Wilmer Flores are the 2 top hitters against lefties, but they also strike out a ton and we know Kershaw is going to dice them up. The rest of the order is very weak and the likes of Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce have absolutely no chance. Kershaw should have a huge game here and per the usual, it comes down whether you want to pay down or not for your bats. Let's take a look at a guy that will allow you to pay up for a few offenses.
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @CHC
FD - 37.49 DK - 24.52
Jon Lester seems to fly under the radar for the most part, typically sitting around 6-10% owned. That might not be the case today, as he is facing a horrible Padres team at home in Wrigley Field. The Padres are the league worst team against lefties, sporting a .280 wOBA and a crazy 25% strikeout rate. There is no reason not to like Lester here and he does allow you to pay up for a few more bats. Lester is just as good this season as he has been, but is facing a slightly high .330 BABIP. He's sporting a 9.29 K/9 and a 3.29 xFIP, along with peripherals that back it all up. He's holding a .297 combined wOBA, which will eventually go down as it follows the BABIP. He's always been better at home and has actually shown the ability to throw over to 1st base as of late. If he is able to lessen the running game, Lester will once again become one of the league's top pitchers. It allows teams to get ton of guys in scoring position, which means 1 base knock is a run. This is the best possible match-up he can have and if you don't target him here, you shouldn't ever. He's cheap enough on both sites and makes sense in both cash games and tournaments.
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @CHC
FD - 9.42 DK - 7.33
We're going to stay in Wrigley Field here and touch on Willson Contreras real quick. The Cubs face-off with Clayton Richard, an average lefty with a little bit of sauce, but nothing crazy. Richard is allowing a .355 wOBA and has already allowed 9 homers in less than 70 innings of work. That's with the majority of his games coming in the spacious Petco Park, so this is a guy who has real issues with righties. You can expect the Cubs to put a few runs on the board and Willson Contreras is a great suspect. He's been fantastic against lefties to start the year, holding a .349 wOBA and an elite 17% K rate, compared to 32% against righties. He hits better in Wrigley and with catcher always being one of the weaker positions on the board, Contreras is a great option in both cash and tournaments. On FanDuel, I doubt I go elsewhere at $2400.
Opponent - OAK (Gossett) Park - @OAK
FD - 8.83 DK - 6.7
Brian McCann is $1100 more expensive than Contreras on FD, but the exact same price on DK. The Astros are going to be one of our top offenses on the slate, facing off with a very weak Daniel Gossett in the Oakland Coliseum. While the ballpark is definitely rough, we know the power these guys have and Vegas certainly thinks they come through. Gossett did rise through the minors quite quickly, but he;s not expected to be a big prospect and his only appearance so far was atrocious. He gave up 2 homers and 6 runs in less than 4 innings. While that is WAY too small of a sample size to judge anything off of, it might show his comfortability at this time. The Astros are an elite offense and the only way to stop them is a great pitcher. Gossett is far from it and we can expect some more runs out of the 3rd ranked offense in baseball. Brian McCann hasn't done anything crazy, but he has done an excellent job of playing his role. He's hitting righties well and has plenty of power upside in any park. If you want to get away from Contreras, McCann is an elite option against a righty.
Cheap - Jonathan Lucroy, Francisco Cervelli
Opponent - ATL (Dickey) Park - @ATL
FD - 11.34 DK - 8.71
It looks like it may be the end of the road for R.A. Dickey. He had a pretty amazing run, but his knuckleball isn't knucklin' and he can't throw his 36 MPH (about) fastball more than once a game. He's allowing a .351 wOBA to lefties and a .381 to righties. He has been horrible in nearly every start and while the Giants offense isn't great, they will do damage in this game. Brandon Belt has been the best bat in the Giants lineup this season, sporting a .361 wOBA and hitting 9 homers so far against right-handers. He moves from AT&T Park (bottom 5 for hitting) to SunTrust, which has played as a top 10 park for lefties so far. While the season is still young, it looks like balls are flying out in Atlanta and it may not be just a fluke. Belt is super fairly priced on both sites and makes a lot of sense as a cash game play with Kershaw. He's safe enough, but also has enough upside to boost you to the top. There are always a lot of 1B to choose from, so Belt may not be too highly owned. He's coming in high on the system and is certainly my favorite at the position.
Opponent - TEX (Bibens-Dirkx) Park - @TEX
FD - 12.25 DK - 9.24
Opponent - TEX (Bibens-Dirkx) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.31 DK - 8.54
If you watched Austin Bibens-Dirkx in his last start, you know how lucky the man got. The Nationals were hitting beams at people chest and flyballs to the base of the wall. He ended up lasting 7 innings, striking out just 2 and allowing 1 singular run. It was incredibly frustrating to watch. Those line drives are going to start going elsewhere, as indicated by a hilarious .168 BABIP. Bibens-Dirkx is a career minor-leaguer and will not be a good pitcher. Both Kendrys Morales and Justin Smoak are pinch-hitters and both hit better from the left side. Morales should be playing DH here, which would let both slip into the lineup. Smoak is a bit more expensive and should be more popular. I actually think Morales is a bit better of a hitter and has a lot of upside in Globe Life. That's not to take away from Justin Smoak, who can hit 2 homers on any given night. Give these 2 guys a look against a pitcher who has some impending doom over his head.
Cheap -Hanley Ramirez
Opponent - DET (Sanchez) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.87 DK - 9.12
I have absolutely no idea why the Tigers are letting Anibal Sanchez pitch, but they are. He has allowed 9 home runs in 20 innings. Yes, 9 home runs in 20 innings. That's a feat in itself and a 6.89 xFIP may be another. Sanchez is just horrible at this point and hasn't been good for about 4 seasons (when he still struggled against lefties). Robinson Cano is the leader of the pack against righties and does a great job of repping. He's held a .380+ wOBA against righties for many years now and is finally back to the consistent Robbie Cano be know and love. Anibal Sachez has no chance to stop these guys tonight and a Mariners stack is squarely in play. When any team is projected to score 4.96 runs in Safeco Field, you better take notice. Cano is cheap on FanDuel and close to a must. He's fine on DK, but may be hard to fit if you're playing on DK with Kershaw.
Opponent - ATL (Dickey) Park - @ATL
FD - 8.58 DK - 6.81
Joe Panik is the guy who always comes through when I roster him. Even when he was struggling last year, he would always come through against the right pitchers (bad righties). He has started seeing more playing time this season and it's paid off, hitting well against both lefties and righties. He's posted a .341 wOBA against righties and 4 homers in just over 140 at-bats. Panik has been sitting around the 2 or 5 spot against lefties, which is where he needs to be for cash game consideration. He faces off with RA. Dickey, who we just touched on. He's 42 years old and this is likely his last season in the majors. The guy is giving up bombs left and right and has no chance of keeping it in this park against the Giants. Go ahead and target a cheap Giants stack that is usually playing in a spacious AT&T Park.
Cheap - Javier Baez
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Opponent - MIA (Volquez) Park - @MIA
FD - 12.07 DK - 10.99
Shortstop is not that great tonight, so we can't be too picky. When things come to push and shove at the SS position, I'll often look to Trea Turner. He is so very versatile and is in an offense that can put up runs against any pitcher. They face off with Edinson Volquez tonight, who is a very average right-hander. He's been a bit lucky this year and is still allowing a combined .320 wOBA on a .233 BABIP against righties. Trea Truner has always been better against righties, sporting a .367 wOBA dating back to the start of the season. The kid has incredible speed and power, which gives him the type of upside to drive you home in a tournament. Think, he's put up 40 FanDuel points twice already this season. That's special. Turner will cost you some cash and if you're playing Kershaw, he may be tough to fit. With that being said, he will be low-owned and has an insane amount of upside at a rather dry position. If you need to pay down, let's take a look at Addison Russell.
Opponent - SD (Richard) Park - @CHC
FD - 9.42 DK - 7.31
Addison Russell has been bouncing around the order a ton, so keep an eye out on where he ends up. If he's in the top 6, I'm fine with him in cash games as well as tournaments. If Maddon throws him in the bottom of the order, I'll reserve him in tournaments where I'm looking for an unpopular HR. The Cubs face off with a typical lefty in Clayton Richard, who as we mentioned, has serious HR issues with righties, already allowing 9 in less than 70 innings. Wrigley Field is heavily influenced by the wind and you will see Vegas spike this game up a ton if the wind is blowing out. Addy Russ was better against lefties in 2016, holding a .343 wOBA and jacking 9 home runs. He has plenty of upside here and if the Cubs do start to string something together, he should be involved. On DK, I won't touch Russell at $4200. The Cubs are priced up over there and with so many other offenses, not necessary. I would much rather pay up $1k for Trea Turner.
Cheap - Brandon Crawford, Troy Tulowitzki
Opponent - DET (Sanchez) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.98 DK - 8.4
I wanted to touch on some guys that weren't overly expensive, but could of went with Kris Bryant right here. He's in an amazing spot against at home against a lefty and could very well hit one out. Instead, we're going to take a look at Kyle Seager, who is the second end of the deadly lefty duo in Seattle. Seager is almost as good against righties as Cano, sporting a .390 wOBA and hitting 19 homers in 2016. He has been very good for a few years now, but seems to consistently fly under the radar as an elite 3B. I think it has a lot to do with the ballpark, which limits a lot of these guys upsides. Either way, Anibal Sanchez is horrible and we have to take advantage. While his numbers might be a little inflated, I don't even know how to describe how bad they are. .450 wOBA bad. 9 homers in 20 innings bad.... Go ahead and target these Seattle Mariners with confidence.
Opponent - TEX (Bibens-Dirkx) Park - @TEX
FD - 14.06 DK - 10.6
Josh Donaldson is officially back and has been for a week or two. He's hitting the ball with control and power and has lowered his strikeout rate from the beginning of the season. He does hit lefties at a HOF level, but his numbers against righties are still pretty tremendous. He sported a .405 wOBA against them in 2016 and slammed 30 homers. Even though the Rogers Centre is slightly positive for hitters, it doesn't compare to Globe Life Park, where the ball flies. The Blue Jays are projected to score over 5 runs in the game as Vegas agrees with the sentiment that Austin Bibens-Dirkx is completely fraudulent. The Blue Jays are going to put some runs on the board and there's a good shot Donaldson is heavily involved. He will cost you a pretty penny, but that very well may keep his ownership down to around 10%. His upside is as high as anyone at the position and he won't be nearly as popular as a guy like Bryant.
Cheap - Eugenio Suarez
Opponent - SEA (Gaviglio) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.88 DK - 8.27
We haven't touched on the Tigers just yet, but they are very much in play as a team stack. Sam Gaviglio is a right-hander who has been much worse against righties, playing into the Tigers lineup. J.D. Martinez himself has been better against righties, sporting a .416 wOBA over the last 3 seasons. This is one of the top hitters in the league and he can drive the ball against both lefties and righties with the best of them. Safeco Field may be big, but Martinez is used to Comerica, which is very similar. He pumped out 16 homers against righties in 110 games and is on his way to passing that number this season by a good margin. Sam Gaviglio is expected to have a lot of trouble and the Mariners have already announced that he is a temporary starter. He isn't a horrible prospect, but simply isn't anywhere near ready for the majors and is in way over his head. Let J.D. Martinez do his thing and you reap the benefits.
Opponent - OAK (Gossett) Park - @OAK
FD - 10.82 DK - 8.4
Opponent - OAK (Gossett) Park - @OAK
FD - 8.74 DK - 6.7
I touched on Daniel Gossett a bunch with Brian McCann, so go check that out if you want to hear about him a little more in-depth. He's a young righty that throws a slider as his primary pitch and has somehow been slightly worse against righties throughout his minor league career. It's definitely weird, as you would expect a guy with a primary slider to be much better against the same handedness. Either way, Gossett can be attacked here and we have an offense in the Astros that can light anyone up. Both Springer and Beltran have the power to hit it out in the O.Co if they pull it. Springer is always going to be a bit more expensive and you can probably get him a bit lower owned. Beltran, as a switch-hitter, is very safe. He's always seeing the platoon advantage and will always see a RBI opportunity or two. This is a safe offense tonight and you can target both of these guys with comfort.
Opponent - MIL (Garza) Park - @MIL
FD - 9.55 DK - 8.17
Opponent - MIL (Garza) Park - @MIL
FD - 10.5 DK - 8.63
I could of went with a lot of chalk options here, but wanted to touch on an offense that hasn't been looked at. Matt Garza has expected come back to this plant and has been pretty horrible against lefties He's sporting a .352 wOBA against them and has walked 10, compared to striking out 11. Lefties are driving the ball a ton against Garza and it has a lot to do with his control. He's falling behind in the count and being forced to lay something in the middle of the zone. Once either of these guys gets on-base, Garza will be flustered. He struggles to hold runners and both Polanco and Frazier are extremely fast. Frazier is actually more expensive than Polanco and for good reason. He's a real hitter and not a guy who should be treated like role player. He holds a .340 wOBA against both lefties and righties this year and has 3 HR and 5 SB in limited games. Polanco hasn't played much either, but he's always been great against righties and has a bit more power potential in Miller Park. Both of these guys can be played in all formats and they should be pretty low owned (5-10%). Good luck tonight!!!
Cheap - Brandon Moss, Alex Presley, Billy Hamilton, Allen Cordoba
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Billy Hamilton is just too cheap on Fanduel at $2800